Mac Jones, New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins
We’re not surprised that Jones was picked as the starting quarterback, or why the decision was made to release Cam Newton versus keeping him as a backup. However, it does has us thinking about what that means for the Patriots offense. With a drop back passer back under center, the red zone opportunities for Damien Harris, Jakobi Myers, Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry all go up. While Jones can work his way out of the pocket, we don’t have to worry about him keeping it on a QB draw from the 15 yard line.
But how much is Patriots’ OC Josh McDaniels really going to open up the offense in Week 1? That’s not to say that every week will be a sit situation for the rookie quarterback, but the Dolphins do have a good secondary. Rookies tend to start out with lots of shorter, underneath routes for Myers, Agholor and New England’s tight ends. But when the red zone is in sight, a Harris-heavy game plan feels logical. We’re going to treat Mac Jones as a wait-and-see case and give it a few games before we put him in a start recommendation.
Other Week 1 Sits:
- Andy Dalton
- Carson Wentz
- Daniel Jones
- Zach Wilson
